Past developments in farming have increased the use of relatively large rolled bales of forage crops, such as hay. These round bales normally weigh between 800 and 1,500 pounds, and typically measure 4 to 5 feet in diameter and are 4 to 5 feet long. In some circumstances, the bales can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds or more and measure 6 feet in diameter and 5 to 7 feet in length. Therefore, the handling of hay in the form of round bales presents problems in moving the bales around from one location to another, such as for storage, feeding purposes and the like. The problems are exacerbated where a single person seeks to move the bales using a vehicle without hydraulic or auxiliary motor power, such as a conventional pick-up truck or similar vehicle equipped only with a standard trailer hitch.
Material handling forklift vehicles are well known, and there are numerous patents disclosing devices designed for manipulating and transporting the large round bales of forage crops, such as hay. For example, forklift devices have been devised for attachment to the hydraulic hitches of agricultural tractors and these devices have proven to be quite satisfactory for transporting bales for short distances. When it is desired to transport such bales over longer distances, tractors are not very practical because they do not travel at normal highway speeds. Consequently, various devices have been devised for lifting the large bales onto truck beds and the like for transporting to the final destination. For example, the following U.S. patents. disclose forklift and other type mechanisms for attachment to agricultural tractors and heavy trucks while utilizing the hydraulic systems to lift the bales from the ground: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,015,737, 4,015,739, 4,027,773, 4,099,629, 4,299,522, 4,674,933, 5,150,999, 5,178,505 and 5,290,133.
In addition, Bauer U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,768 discloses a hay tote having a specially designed hydraulically actuated truck bumper mounted on a conventional pick-up truck, with two rigid bumper sections and a rotatable center section having a pair of sockets for receiving bale piercing spears. Once the bale is loaded onto the spears, the hydraulic cylinder actuates the rotating part of the bumper to lift the bale. A similar hydraulically operated forklift type attachment for impaling, lifting and carrying large round hay bales is also disclosed in Lynch U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,786.
Thus, the prior lifting mechanisms either require additional manpower or connection to an auxiliary hydraulic or electric motor system, such as found on an agricultural tractor or the like. As such, these prior lifting and transporting mechanisms are not suitable for use by a single operator or on a conventional pick-up truck or the like, which does not have auxiliary hydraulic capability. Further, the prior art lifting and transporting mechanisms are all generally designed for permanent mounting on the tractor or other vehicle, and none contemplate a lifting and transporting assembly which can be quickly connected and disconnected from a conventional vehicle such as a truck or the like.